I really enjoyed this one. We talked a bit about books and writing, of course, but we also covered a range of topics from Back to the Future to Quantum Leap, two topics I can discuss for hours. Barry even slipped in a reference to the classic SF film Short Circuit! Given that the format for the program is “a chat over a cup of tea,” you might be wondering what my beverage of choice was throughout the half-hour interview.

It’s obvious, really. I was, in fact, sipping Earl Grey.

Please give the program a listen and leave some feedback. It’s short, it’s entertaining, and perhaps even enlightening. Many thanks to Barry for the great conversation!

While you’re at it, you can also check out interviews with my fellow Apocalypsies, Sarvenaz Tash (The Mapmaker and the Ghost, due out this Tuesday, 4/24!), J. Anderson Coats (The Wicked and the Just, just released!), and Lynne Kelly (Chained, due out 5/8/12).

I would not be the person and writer I am today if not for the teachers and librarians in my life who encouraged me to read and write, introduced me to classic literature and showed me how to deconstruct it, and taught me all the important nuances of comma placement. So I’m delighted to be one of eight children’s authors participating in an upcoming educator appreciation reception in my area to celebrate B&N’s Spring Educator Appreciation Week (April 14-22):

So, if you know any teachers, please let them know about this exciting event!

All thanks to fellow Apocalypsie K.M. Walton and Stephanie, the community relations manager at B&N Exton, for putting this whole thing together. I’m looking forward to meeting many other authors and educators!

Last week, I returned to my old home base, New York City, for the annual NYC Teen Author Festival. I had to miss the first few days of panels and readings, but I got in late Wednesday night so Jim Freund could interview me and Eddie Schneider on his weekly radio program, Hour of the Wolf (Thursday mornings from 1:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on WBAI 99.5 FM). As usual, the time passed far too quickly! I read two short selections from Fair Coin on the air and we discussed YA fiction and publishing. You can listen to a recording of the broadcast online for the next week.

Making coffee out of lemons: Mark Schulman (SCRAWL), Jess Rothenberg (THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME), Arlaina Tibensky (AND THEN THINGS FALL APART), Léna Roy (EDGES), and me at Beans and Vines

Roughly seven hours later, I staggered to a library in Manhattan where I was scheduled to read to a high school class with four other authors. Unfortunately, the chain locking the doors suggested they weren’t expecting us. As my friend Matt London recounted on his blog, we adjourned to a nearby coffee shop to hang out instead, which worked out really well because a) I needed a lot of coffee after only 3 hours of sleep, and b) they are all really fun people and I happen to like talking with other writers.

Autographed copies face out on a table at B&N Tribeca. (Thanks, Kara!)

My agent, Eddie, and I then toured many Barnes & Noble bookstores throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, so I could sign their stock of Fair Coin. It was my first time seeing my book in stores in person, and it was as thrilling as you’d expect. It was even more exciting to see it prominently displayed face out in the new Teen Fantasy & Adventure sections and on several tables. It was also fun to meet and chat with several store employees who clearly love books, including Elizabeth, Donna, Ashley, Taina, Meredith, and Kara. (Hi!) Once I signed the books, the store staff slapped nifty “Autographed” stickers on them, the better to entice people to pick them up. If you’re looking to grab a signed copy of your own from Barnes & Noble, last week they had them at 82nd & Broadway, 86th & Lexington, 46th Street and 5th Ave, Tribeca, Court Street in Brooklyn, and Park Slope.

If you would like to support independent booksellers, and I always think that’s worth doing, you can also snag a signed copy from Books of Wonder on 18 W. 18th Street, the preeminent children’s bookstore in Manhattan. I was there on Sunday with around 65 other YA authors (including a bunch of Apocalypsies!) for the mega signing. It was great to see many friends show up to have their copies of Fair Coin signed, and meet some readers and book bloggers. The swag I made for the book seemed to be a big hit, too. It was definitely a wish come true to see my book in the store, since I’ve been going to readings and signings there for years. My only “problem” with Books of Wonder is I can’t leave without purchasing some books, and indeed I left with a bag of cherished autographed books by other Apocalypsies. (Many thanks to David Levithan for coordinating the signing and working so hard on the rest of the Author Festival, and to Peter Glassman and everyone at Books of Wonder who were so welcoming to a bunch of new authors.)

Getting to meet and hang out with other members of the Apocalypsies was a big highlight of the trip, and we even had a small gathering at one of my favorite restaurants, Chat n’ Chew, before the signing, with Zoraida Córdova (THE VICIOUS DEEP), Gina Damico (CROAK), K.M. Walton (CRACKED), Emily M. Danforth (THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST), Elisa Ludwig (PRETTY CROOKED), and Lizzie K. Foley (REMARKABLE), and assorted significant others. Apocalypsies were also well represented on various panels throughout Teen Author Week–already reading and talking about their books like pros.

Last weekend, I also joined many people (including some of my writing group, Altered Fluid), to usher in Alaya Dawn Johnson’s 30th birthday and her fourth novel, WICKED CITY, at a genuine NYC speakeasy, The Back Room. If you see Alaya tonight, be sure to congratulate her on both milestones; she and I will be reading and signing our new books at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art (138 Sullivan Street) at 7 p.m. I hope you can make it!

I’ve been wanting to try “vlogging” (video blogging) for a while, and a new book is a great excuse. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s my first attempt for the “Apocalypsies Now” YouTube Channel, in which the author introduces himself; pronounces the name of Fair Coin‘s protagonist, Ephraim Scott; and tells you why he publishes fiction under his initials.

I had fun making this, once I got over my stage fright. I’d like to do it more frequently on my own YouTube channel (maybe with a better camera), but if I do, I’ll need more topics to vlog about! So I’m taking questions in the comments: ask me anything about me, my book, or whatever random thing you want to stump me with, and I’ll answer some of them in my second vlog next week.

Thank you to everyone who participated, whether you made it all the way to the end or not. I’ve enjoyed all of your comments about the race and Fair Coin here and on Twitter and I hope everyone had a lot of fun. I know the Apocalypsies enjoyed it. Now that you’ve heard about 50+ of our books, which are you looking forward to and why? (You don’t have to say Fair Coin—honest.)

There will definitely be more of these interblog events throughout the year to celebrate all our young adult and middle grade debuts in 2012, and I’ll be offering other opportunities to win some Fair Coin swag in the next couple of months, too. So stay tuned!

We now return this blog to its regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.